JNS.org – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended a reception on Thursday in honor of Egypt’s National Day, which commemorates the Egyptian revolution of 1952, at the Egyptian ambassador to Israel’s residence.

In his remarks at the reception, which was also attended by President Reuven Rivlin and Opposition Leader Isaac Herzog, Netanyahu noted that Egypt and Israel are “among the world’s oldest civilizations,” adding that he is proud that “our two nations have been in peace for nearly four decades.”

“Thousands of years ago our two peoples laid perhaps the most important foundations of human civilization and today our two peoples – in effect, the entire world – are in a continuous and daily struggle against terror and against those who are trying to destroy human civilization,” Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu also thanked Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi for his “leadership and for his efforts to advance peace between Israel and the Palestinians, and in the broader Middle East.”

“We welcome the efforts to advance peace by President El-Sisi, and we welcome the effort to incorporate other Arab states in this larger effort of a broader peace between all the peoples of the Middle East.”

Earlier this month, El-Sisi said that he was serious about pushing forward towards the establishment of peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

“Egypt’s recent serious effort aims to break the deadlock that has hung over peace efforts,” El-Sisi said in remarks on state-run TV. “It is a sincere effort to make everyone face their responsibilities and warn of the consequences of delays in achieving peace,” he said.

Following El-Sisi’s remarks, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry also visited Jerusalem and met with Netanyahu in the first such visit in nearly a decade.